3 Reasons Why This is a Timeless House: 17th Century French Chateau
A few years ago, I worked with a client on the restoration of a 17th century Chateau in the south of France. As it approaches its 400th year, it welcomes a new owner and new patron who will embrace its...
View ArticleKey Elements of Historic Moldings
For some of you this lesson on moldings may seem elementary, but it holds fundamental principles that must be mastered before being able to design or build a timeless home. The moldings we use today...
View Article3 Rules for Building a Door Header
Door headers are a great way to emphasize a door or window, and they help designate hierarchy and bring order to a room. However, today many people don’t know how to build them. So what makes a good...
View ArticleKnow Your Doors: Plank Doors
The construction method of doors has changed and adapted over time. The simplest and earliest type of door is the plank door. Planks of wood are laid up side by side and then nailed together with a...
View ArticleKnow Your Doors: Transitional Doors
Transitional doors are early doors like plank doors, but are usually constructed with an overframe that helps hold the boards together more firmly. A transitional door may be thought of as a “refined”...
View ArticleHistoric Restoration of the Hotel Settles
The Hotel Settles is a beautiful Art Deco landmark in the center of West Texas. It was built in 1930 by cattle rancher W.R. Settles, and was recently fully restored with attention to craftsmanship and...
View ArticleHow to Use Ornamentation in Traditional Design
We believe that each one of us should pursue beauty and great design in our homes. One of the more fun ways to express beauty is through ornamentation. In the video below, we will cover 3 things you...
View ArticleKnow Your Doors: Paneled Doors
Paneled doors, or stile and rail doors, are an advancement in design from plank doors and transitional doors that developed during the Renaissance era. In order to overcome wood’s natural tendency to...
View ArticleChoosing the Right Cut of Wood for Your Project
If you are getting ready, or are already in the process of crafting a project out of wood, it is important to understand the basic differences in the cuts of wood available. Why is this important? The...
View Article6 Rules for Using Moldings in Your Home
Although nearly all homes today have moldings, they are often not used correctly. Moldings are meant to define key architectural elements in a room such as windows and doors, as well as introduce...
View ArticleTypes of Old-Growth Woods
The difference between old-growth and new-growth wood cannot be overstated. Old-growth wood is better in every way, and historic millwork lasts as long as it does largely because of the quality of this...
View ArticleThe Value of Hard Work
I recently saw this ad in a building magazine. After this very manly and confident looking contractor makes this proclamation, the company, at the bottom of the ad, promises to help deliver on the...
View ArticleA grand Tour
St Augustine wrote, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” In the 18th century rich young men would travel as a sort of finishing school. The trip they took soon followed...
View ArticleStruck by Beauty and Order
How do you know if something is beautiful? Maybe a better question is WHEN, do you know something is beautiful. I find that beauty strikes us. It fills us with wonder and awe and often stops us in...
View ArticleNostalgia- getting the best from the past.
Nostalgia. What is Nostalgia? A longing, a desire for what was, or the best of what we remember. Nostalgia is the reason we listen to music we grew up on; it is the reason we keep old photos, and it …...
View ArticleLearning to critique ourselves
In the early stages of research for my Timeless House book, I read that in some Renaissance cities, craftsmen’s shops were open to the public. Passerby’s could watch artisans at work and even critique...
View ArticleHistoric Millwork Catalogs- inspiration from the past
I’ve always enjoyed historic house paraphernalia. Here are a few historic manufacturer catalogs from around 1920. The thought of solid wood doors and columns, picking up lumber from a train and...
View ArticleAmerican Builder magazines from The Hull Historical Library…
Here are a number of covers from American Builder Magazine from the 1920′s. American Builder was a Radford publication. I have mentioned Radford in earlier posts because he was a prolific publisher in...
View ArticleThe Death of Craftsmanship in the New American Home
While the builder show in Las Vegas is still fresh in our minds, I thought it would be appropriate to comment on the 2014 New American Home. This is the new home built every year at the annual builder...
View ArticleThe Death of Craftsmanship part 2, the problem with manufacturers.
As you may know, I’m in the final stages of the new book release, A Timeless House in an Instant Age”. God willing, it will go to the printer soon. I have been pursuing a few friends and key...
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